Indonesian rookie Haryanto set to make history in Formula One

JAKARTA – Rio Haryanto will become Indonesia’s first Formula One driver after signing a one-year contract with Manor, the British motor racing team announced Thursday.

The 23-year-old will make his Grand Prix debut in Australia in March alongside German driver Pascal Wehrlein, a fellow young star who secured the other vacant seat at Manor earlier this month.

The rookie driver will shortly depart for Barcelona, Spain, to test drive the new MRT05 race car for the team, which has recently entered an engine partnership with Mercedes.

“I still can’t believe this is happening,” Haryanto told reporters at the announcement in Jakarta.

“It’s great news, and I will give the best I can to be an F1 driver.”

In a statement, Manor said Haryanto impressed during his F1 trials and the 2015 GP2 series, where he finished fourth overall and topped the podium on three occasions.

“He’s a great talent,” said Dave Ryan, who was last year appointed Manor’s new racing director as the team sought to turn around its fortunes.

Haryanto and his team had been locked in lengthy negotiations with Manor for months as they struggled to drum up the financial support needed to secure an F1 berth.

His campaign got across the line when funding was secured from the Indonesian government and the country’s state-owned oil company, as well as his major sponsor, Pertamina.

Haryanto’s manager Piers Hunnisett said it had been a “stressful” wait for his young protege, who now faced a steep learning curve as he joined the 21 other drivers in the world’s most prestigious car race.

“To see Rio alongside Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton is a great achievement,” he said, referring to the German and British F1 champions.